“`html
A wave of fear is gripping Afghan asylum-seeking families in Pakistan,as increasingly restrictive police actions and stalled visa renewals threaten their safety and well-being,particularly impacting children’s mental health.
A Childhood Lost to Fear
The escalating pressure on asylum seekers is stripping children of basic rights,leaving lasting psychological scars.
- Pakistani police are conducting house-to-house raids and threatening deportation, creating a climate of fear.
- visa renewals for Afghan citizens have largely stopped or face meaningful delays.
- Children are experiencing increased anxiety, insomnia, and social withdrawal due to the uncertainty and pressure.
- Human rights activists warn of systematic violations and long-term trauma for an entire generation.
Many asylum seekers report that the process for renewing visas for Afghan citizens has either halted entirely or is facing extensive delays, coinciding with heightened police scrutiny.Families describe officers arriving at their homes to check documents, and in some instances, instilling fear by detaining family members-sometimes releasing them only after a payment is made. Most of these families initially sought refuge in Pakistan to escape threats from the Taliban and now find themselves in a precarious state while awaiting resettlement in a third country.
“Among all my worries,forced deportation to Afghanistan frightens me the most,” says Nasima Sama (pseudonym),a mother of two living in exile. “Because of my work as a journalist, my life and my family’s lives would be in danger there. more than the physical threats, I worry about what this constant fear is doing to my children. Children raised in
have intensified in recent months.
Najla barkzai (pseudonym), a psychologist, warns of the long-lasting consequences of these conditions. “Children who grow up surrounded by fear, instability, and exclusion from education and play face chronic anxiety, sleep disorders, and declining self-confidence,” she says. “when play is limited to indoor spaces and social interaction disappears, childhood freedom fades. Over time, this damages personality progress and mental well-being.”
Human rights activists echo these concerns, stating that the recent tightening of restrictions has pushed asylum-seeking families to a breaking point. Many children have lost access to essential rights, including education, play, and a sense of security. Activists emphasize that the ongoing threats of forced deportation, coupled with a lack of support systems, will inflict deep psychological scars on an entire generation growing up in exile.
“What asylum-seeking families face in pakistan today is not just an administrative or migration issue. It is a clear pattern of systematic human rights violations,” asserts Zarina Baha, a human rights activist. “When fear of arrest or deportation keeps children away from schools, parks, and healthcare, their fundamental rights are
Keep reading
